Women, Men, and the Whole Damn Thing: Feminism, Misogyny, and Where We Go from Here

Journalist Leser (To Begin to Know) surveys “universal crimes against women” in this searing, deeply reported account. “It’s here, there, and everywhere,” Leser writes about sexual harassment, “coded into the system and architecture of where we work and how we live.” He credits the #MeToo movement for allowing women “to describe the not-so-alternative reality they have always inhabited,” and documents abuse and rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Louis C. K., Irish rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding, and other prominent men in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Leser also points out misogyny in Jewish prayers, the New Testament, and the works of Aristotle, and cites shocking statistics about discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence (“In America, a woman is raped every 9 seconds and a rape is reported every 6.2 seconds”). He interviews women’s rights activists including Zainib Salbi, founder of Women for Women International, and playwright Eve Ensler, talks with his daughter about her first sexual encounters, and casts a critical eye on his own behavior and attitudes. Leser’s fluid writing style and emotional honesty will keep readers from sinking into despair, despite the heaviness of the material. This powerful call to heal the “collective wound” of misogyny resonates. (Jan.)